A common approach used in the development of electronic equipment assemblies incorporates a modular design, in which multiple modules, subassemblies, or printed circuit cards are interconnected. Such an approach may simplify initial designs by allowing for the incorporation of other commercially available modules. With replaceable modules or printed circuit cards, provisioning of spares can be accomplished for each module independently, as required. An interconnected modular approach also simplifies maintainability by reducing repair tasks to board removal and replacement.
A recent trend in electronic equipment assemblies is toward higher data rates (hundreds of MHZ or higher) and smaller connector footprints. Such high data rates impose limitations on the length and manner of some electrical interconnections. Preferably, the length of interconnections should be kept to a minimum distance to avoid unwanted effects to the electrical signals. To keep interconnection length short, some designs directly interconnect overlapping or stacked circuit cards using board-to-board connectors.
Board-to-board connectors are relatively inexpensive and readily available. Some connectors have a high number of contacts distributed in a rectangular array (e.g., MEG-ARRAY® connectors) that may couple to a circuit board using a ball-grid array. Advantageously, these connectors keep interconnect lengths to a minimum. However, because of the small size and high density of contacts, damage to the connector's contacts can occur unless care is exercised during the mating and un-mating of the connector. Compounding this risk, many applications employ these delicate, high-density connectors in a blind mate configuration in which the connectors sit between overlapping circuit boards. Without an unobstructed view to the connector surfaces, the connectors are vulnerable to damage during the mating process. This can be particularly true for field replacements, where board removal and replacement occur in less-than-ideal conditions. Thus, there remains a need for improving the reliability of blind mate interconnections without unnecessarily increasing cost or complexity.